Arlo Maverick
Arlo Maverick | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Edmonton, Canada |
| Genres | Hip-hop |
| Years active | 2002-present |
Marlon Wilson, known professionally as Arlo Maverick, is a Canadian hip-hop artist and filmmaker based in Edmonton, Alberta.
Personal life
Maverick grew up in a working-class family in Edmonton and listened to hip-hop and reggae with his cousins.[1] He first tried penning lyrics at the age of eight when he saw a girl in church who was writing a rhyme rather than listening to the sermon.[1][2]
Maverick's partner is the painter and filmmaker Natalie Meyer.[3] He works for National Oilwell Varco.[4]
Musical career
Wilson first adopted the name Arlo Maverick when he and his cousins Dirt Gritie and Bigga Nolte joined his friend DJ Sonny Grimezz to form the hip-hop group Politic Live in 2002. Politic Live toured across Canada and opened for acts like Busta Rhymes, Nas, and Snoop Dogg, but wound down in 2012.[1][2]
Maverick released his first solo album, Maybe Tomorrow, in 2016. This loosely autobiographical concept album traces the story of a boy named Soup as he comes of age, starts a music career, and deals with life's struggles.[2] It features contributions for many Edmonton-based producers, rappers, and singers. The album hit number-one on the Canadian Campus Radio Weekly Hip-Hop chart for four weeks.[1]
In 2021, Maverick released the Focused EP, a collection of singles, followed by the EP Soul Merchant.[5] This EP was inspired by reflections on humans' relationship with technology, prompted in part by Black Mirror, and was originally planned for release in 2018,[2] but was delayed to rework the songs into something closer to Maverick's vision.[5]
Maverick's next album, Blue Collar, appeared in 2023. The album explores his working-class background and challenges balancing work and life. It features a contribution from Maverick's Politic Live collaborator Dirt Gritie.[4][6]
Other pursuits
Maverick has been described as an important mentor figure within the Edmonton hip-hop community, helping to explain the steps in writing grants and producing and marketing an album.[1] Among his mentees is Sudanese-Canadian rapper Mouraine.[7] He has also long volunteered as a guest DJ for the community radio station CJSR-FM.[1]
Maverick and his partner Natalie Meyer collaborated on the Telus Storyhive documentary series Allow Me to Introduce, whose episodes each discuss a song that left a mark on Edmonton's hip-hop scene.[3] Wilson also received funding from Telus Storyhive to direct the documentary Unbreakable Crew, which documents the early history of breakdancing and hip-hop during the 80s in Edmonton.[3][8] In 2025, Maverick and Meyer released the documentary Batting Beyond Borders about West Indian cricket players in Victoria Park, Edmonton.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Zoledziowski, Anya (2017-03-03). "Edmonton's Arlo Maverick Is On A Quest To Save the City's Overlooked Rap Scene". Vice. Retrieved 2025-03-27.
- ^ a b c d Boissoneault, Stephan (2017-12-07). "Definitely Tomorrow: Arlo Maverick talks 'Marlonese' and new album Soul Merchant". Vue Weekly. p. 21.
- ^ a b c Griwkowsky, Fish (2022-02-16). "Allow Me to Introduce doc series takes a deep dive into Edmonton hip-hop history". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
- ^ a b Gallant, Colin (2023-09-28). "Arlo Maverick's latest celebrates blue-collar Edmonton". Taproot Edmonton. Retrieved 2025-03-27.
- ^ a b Feniak, Jenny (2025-03-27). "Arlo Maverick's latest hip-hop EP is well-timed creativity". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2025-03-27.
- ^ Huculak, Chad (2025-03-27). "Edmonton rap veteran Arlo Maverick pays tribute to the grind on new album, Blue Collar". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2025-03-27.
- ^ Harmsen, Natalie (2023-02-28). "Rising rapper Mouraine wants to leave a legacy — for himself and Edmonton". CBC Music. Retrieved 2025-03-27.
- ^ "Meet Arlo Maverick". CanvasRebel Magazine. 2024-04-08. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
- ^ Ng, Jessica; Dhaliwal, Min (2025-02-24). Batting Beyond Borders documentary (Radio broadcast). CBC Listen: CBC Radio.